Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win

It's 1979 in Southern California and Jasmine Zumideh has big dreams—but little white lies can have big consequences...

Jasmine is ready to escape her stale suburb and head to her dream school, NYU, where she'll major in journalism and cover New York City's exploding music scene. There's just one teeny problem: she maaaaaaybe said she was Senior Class President-Elect on her application—before the election takes place. But she's running against Gerald "The Enforcer" Thomas, whose platform includes reinstating a dress code—so she can't possibly lose. And she better not, or she'll never get into NYU.

But then, the Iran Hostage Crisis delivers an October Surprise, shaking up the election as Gerald seizes the opportunity to stir up anti-Iranian hysteria at school. As the white lie Jasmine told snowballs, she's torn between claiming her heritage or hiding it, supporting her outspoken brother or turning her back on him, winning the election or abandoning her dreams for good.

Told with humor and heart, debut author Susan Azim Boyer's Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is an unforgettable story of a young woman finding her voice, navigating a budding romance, and fighting for her identity in a world not ready to accept it. Set against a historical crisis with eerie modern relevance, it's for fans of coming-of-age stories with a multicultural twist, like Darius the Great Is Not Okay.